Cotto looks to rebound from loss

By Joe Scalzo | February 18, 2009 at 12:09a.m.

“It’s not difficult [to rebound] when you have the right people beside you.”

Miguel Cotto

Welterweight boxer

Kelly Pavlik isn’t the only big-name boxer looking to rebound from his first loss.

Miguel Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs) of Puerto Rico hasn’t fought since his brutal knockout loss to Antonio Margarito in a WBA welterweight title fight last July.

He’ll fight Britain’s Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KOs) in a WBO welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, pairing with Pavlik’s bout to form a two-site, two-fight main event.

“What happened with Margarito last July is in my past,” said Cotto in a nationwide conference call last week. “It’s not difficult [to rebound] when you have the right people beside you.”

Cotto (rhymes with “photo”) emerged as one of boxing’s biggest talents over the last two years, particularly after wins over Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. His handlers are hoping a win on Saturday — preferably by knockout — will help rebuild his image.

“We’re all concentrating on the Jennings fight,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, his promoter. “And after that fight we’ll get out the rankings, look at the other champions, look at what makes the most sense and a lot of that will depend on where the next fight is going to be.”

Margarito’s stature also took a hit in recent days. He had his license taken away for one year after illegal wraps were discovered on his hands before a loss last month to Shane Mosley.

“This is not a good thing for boxing,” said Cotto, whose handlers had talked about a possible rematch between him and Margarito. “It gives boxing another black eye — another incident boxing doesn’t need.”

Arum said he expects 12,000 people at MSG on Saturday. The PPV undercard features Irish middleweight John Duddy, who has a large fan following in New York, against Matt Vanda. If Duddy wins, he looms as a future opponent for Pavlik.

The other televised undercard bout pits Anthony Peterson against Edner Cherry.

The Cotto-Jennings bout will be broadcast live at the Chevrolet Centre around 10 p.m. Saturday, while Pavlik’s bout will be shown live at MSG around 11 p.m.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” Arum said. “I think it will be an extremely enjoyable night.”

XThe Associated Press contributed to this report.